AID agencies are mounting a "massive response" as the scale of
the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines becomes
clear.

Officials are now warning that up to 10,000 people may have died
when the typhoon tore through the central Philippines on
November.

The charity World Vision said in a statement that it was aiming
to provide life-saving essentials to 1.2 million people in the
aftermath of the storm, which some are calling the most powerful
ever to ever hit land.

Many of their Philippines staff, the charity said, are also
victims of the typhoon: 37 of them had suffered damage to their
homes. One World Vision worker, Erna Tupaz, said: "The typhoon
totally destroyed our house. We're living with neighbours now. I
can't do anything but to cry." A World Vision emergency specialist,
Aaron Aspi, said: "It was like waking up from a nightmare."

Grace Baloro, a World Vision worker with family on the island of
Leyte, which was badly hit by the storm, said: "I'm worrying about
my two children. I don't have any contact with them yet. I left
them with their nanny."

AP

Debris: residents walk past damaged houses in Tacloban
city

Credit: AP

Debris: residents walk past damaged houses in Tacloban
city

The Government announced on Sunday that it would donate £6
million to provide "crucial humanitarian aid", but the head of the
Philippines Red Cross, Richard Gordon, told the BBC that the
situation was "absolute bedlam". "There's an awful lot of
casualties; a lot of people dead all over the place; a lot of
destruction," he said. "It's absolute bedlam right now, but
hopefully it will turn out better as more and more supplies get
into the area."

Speaking on Friday, Alwynn Javier, a Christian Aid senior
programme officer in the capital, Manila, said that the damage was
likely to be colossal. "This is on a scale never been seen before.
It has covered a vast area, including islands where the
infrastructure was already limited. Air and seaports are closed,
and power lines are down, cutting off entire provinces and leaving
many communities stranded."

A regional emergency manager for Christian Aid, Coree Steadman,
said that the organisation had not been able to get in touch with
its local partners because of the devastation caused by the
storm.

"It is not just the strength of the typhoon," she said, "but the
scale of it - it has affected 15 provinces, two of which were also
hit by the earthquake. Our priority now is responding to immediate
needs: food, household items, blankets, and shelter materials. We
will also be looking at the extent of the damage to livelihoods as
part of our assessment. In the next few weeks, we will be able to
respond for longer term rehabitation."

The storm struck the central Philippine islands of Leyte and
Samar, and northern parts of Cebu. A spokesman for World Vision
said that the charity had been unable to contact staff in Tacloban
City, in Leyte. The charity said that it would be sending relief
teams to the Visayas region, which was worst hit by the typhoon, as
well as continuing its support of up to 7000 families affected by
last month's earthquake. The BBC is reporting that Tacloban has
been flattened by the storm, and that bodies are piling up in the
streets as aid struggles to reach the town.

The chief executive of Tearfund, Matthew Frost, asked the
charity's supporters to pray for the relief effort in the
Philippines. "As well as the urgent and practical things, like
helping people have a roof over their heads, we know that there
will be a lot of grief as people come to terms with bereavement,"
he said. "We must pray for the thousands of people who are grieving
and ask God how he wants each of us to respond to their needs.

"Please also pray for the churches who are sending teams out,
many of whom will travel long distances by motorbike, that their
teams would stay safe and well on their travels, and that they
would be able to bring hope to the people they meet."

On Monday, the Archbishop of Canterbury sent a message of prayer
and solidarity to all those affected by Typhoon Haiyan:

"The news of the devastating storm in the Philippines is tragic,
and my heart goes out to the people there. We are all deeply
shocked and saddened to hear of the loss of thousands of lives and
of the suffering of millions as a result of Typhoon Haiyan.

"Our prayers are with all who have lost loved ones and all those
who are traumatised by the disaster and in desperate need of food,
water, shelter and medical attention. We pray for those who are
most vulnerable in this crisis: children separated from their
parents, the sick and injured, the disabled and the elderly.

"As a Church, we will stand beside the people of the Philippines
at this devastating time, offering all we can in practical and
spiritual support as the scale of the disaster unfolds.

"I note that the relief work has already commenced and my prayer
is that governments, agencies, churches and individuals will
respond generously to help the people of the Philippines to recover
and rebuild their shattered lives.

"May the victims of this terrible storm know God's comfort and
derive strength from their faith."

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